Exfoliating Sash for Cleaning and Massaging

ABSTRACT

A wash-cloth of substantially rectangular shape having first, second and third retaining pockets along the length thereof, the first and third of which are stitched to include two or more massaging balls, and the second of which is releasably openable to retain a bar of replaceable soap to provide a simultaneous cleaning and massaging of neck, back and leg body parts in the rubbing and scrubbing thereover in use of the cloth—and with the cloth being of an exfoliant surrounding layer, to be bacteria and mold resistant, lightweight and quickly dryable, in providing radiant, refreshing and rejuvenating blood circulation stimulation in a body cleansing manner.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

NONE.

STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT

Research and development of this invention and Application have not beenfederally sponsored, and no rights are given under any Federal program.

REFERENCE TO A MICROFICHE APPENDIX

Not Applicable

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Field of the Invention

This invention relates to the providing of a cleaning and massageexperience to every bath or shower user, in general, and to an advancedtype of wash-cloth design stimulative to create a refreshed andrejuvenated effect in leaving one's skin radiant and firm, after use, inparticular.

Description of the Related Art

As set out in my previous U.S. Pat. No. 5,545,456 entitled “Wash-ClothThat Cleans and Massages”, I described a wash-cloth having a pluralityof built-in pockets for the simultaneous placement therein of both soapbars and massaging devices. There, clipping handles were set out asbeing integrally knit to opposing ends of its main body so that thewash-cloth could be safely held and easily used (particularly by tall,overweight or disabled persons), to effectively clean and massage theback and other difficult to reach areas. Safe and comfortable to use,the wash-cloth provided both cleaning and massaging at the same time. Asset out in my patent, the wash-cloth was both simple in design, and of alow cost to manufacture.

In describing a preferred embodiment of that invention, I identified thewash-cloth as including a flexible material having an effective yetcomfortable degree of porosity, coarseness and abrasiveness.Specifically, the main body of the wash-cloth was called out as beingmade of such suitable materials as terry cloth, turkish bath towel,jute, nylon, cellulose sponge or cotton. As will be described below,however, while still providing the same advances of comfort in use andsavings in manufacture, an exfoliating sash of the present inventionoffers even further advantages of being mold and bacteria resistant andquick drying for readiness to use again in virtually no time—as well asbeing lightweight, durable and compact (thereby making it available as aperfect gift, especially in that once finished in cleansing andmassaging, it need only be simply rinsed and hung to dry).

Object of the Invention

It is an object of the present invention to provide the same features ina sash able to be utilized with luxurious organic handmade soaps fornormal, dry, oily or sensitive skin for female and male users alike.

It is an object of the present invention, also, to afford a spa-typeexperience in wrapping and gently rubbing a shower sash to glide acrossthe user's back, legs, or any hard-to-reach spots. Essentially in acultured scrub and rub manner.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

As will become clear from the following description, these objectivesare satisfied through the use of an exfoliating cloth, rather than withthe flexible materials of my previous noted patent.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

These and other features of the invention will be more clearlyunderstood from a consideration of the following description, taken inconnection with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the preferred embodiment of my earlierpatent of its wash-cloth construction with a pair of pockets forsecuring a bar of soap, on the one hand, and massaging utensils, on theother hand;

FIG. 2 is a view taken through 2-2 of FIG. 1 wherein a bar of soap isretained in one pocket while the massaging utensils are retained in theother pocket—besides showing the differing material coarseness onopposing sides of the main body of the wash-cloth patent;

FIG. 3 is a front perspective view of the wash-cloth described there,having gripping handles on opposing ends, and a pair of pockets havingretaining means to contain the soap and massaging utensils;

FIG. 4 is a side view taken through 4-4 of FIG. 3 of one embodiment of amassaging utensil therein utilized, as it is retained in its wash-clothpocket by a velcro securing means on the pocket flap;

FIG. 5 is an exploded view of a pair of massaging utensils thereemployed in the patent's FIG. 4; and

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of an exfoliating sash usable as theprevious main body in providing the benefits of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Referring to FIG. 1, the main body of the wash-cloth of my U.S. Pat. No.5,545,456 is illustrated at 10, as having two pockets, both designatedas 11. Each pocket 11 had at its open end a securing flap 12 and asecuring means 13 for retaining items securely within the pocket 11while bathing.

That wash-cloth 10, in accordance with the teachings of my patent, wasmade from a suitably flexible material having an effective yetcomfortable degree of porosity, coarseness and abrasiveness for use as awash-cloth. Such wash-cloth 10 was described as being made of terrycloth, turkish bath towel, jute, nylon, cellulose sponge or cotton. Inthe side view of the wash-cloth body 10 of FIG. 2, a combination of twomaterials having different porosities 20 and 30 were used on eitherside. As there set out, a user could clean with the side having thesmoother and less porous characteristic (designated as 20) and then turnthe wash-cloth 10 over so as to massage and scratch his or her back withthe other side of the wash-cloth 10, of the more porous material (shownas 30).

As described in my '456 patent, the wash-cloth body 10 had on one side apair of integrally knit and centered receiving pockets 11. Securingflaps of each pocket 11 were integrally formed at one end of each of thepockets, which were also integrally formed on the main body of thewash-cloth 10. In the embodiment illustrated there, the pockets 11 weremade of a single piece of the same material as the main body 10—thesingle piece of material being transversely slit near one end on eitherside of the center line to form a securing flap 12 for the pocket 11,integral with such pocket at two points. The severed edge forming thesecuring flap 12 for the pocket 11 was stitched to the main body of thewash-cloth 10, and the flap 12 turned down over the severed butunstitched edge of the pocket 11. The opposite edge of the pocket, aswell as the adjacent sides thereof, and the superposed sides of thepocket 11 and flap 12 were then stitched to the main body 10.

The receiving pockets 11 on one side of the main body 10 were made fromthe same material as the main body of the wash-cloth. The pockets 11were formed from a single rectangular remaining member which wastransversally slit along a line 17 between the points 18 and 19 andadjacent one end to form the securing flap 12. The opposite end of thepocket 11 was then also stitched to the main body of the wash-cloth 10,the stitching being sewn upwardly along the lines 21 and 22 at the sidesof the pocket 11 and further continued to fasten the sides of thesuperposed securing flap 12 as well as the sides of the pocket 11 to themain body 10.

As illustrated there, entrance to the pockets 11 was along theunstitched edge 23, so that by bringing the edge of securing flap 12close to the stitching points 18-19 of the pockets 11, a bar of soap 16and a massaging utensil 15 once inserted in the pockets 11 (as shown inFIG. 1), are substantially prevented from slipping out when thewash-cloth 10 was in use. Not only did the securing flap 12 there hinderthe dislocation of any inserted item, but securing means 13, attached onflap 12, kept the soap 16 in place until totally used. Although velcrowas used as the securing means 13 on the flap 12 in the embodiment setforth in my '456 patent because it was least likely to cause discomfortand abrasion when pressing the wash-cloth 10 against the body, otherknown securing means could be used instead—such as buttons or zippers,if properly covered. To prevent sagging of the pockets 11 aftercontinued use, the four corners thereof, as well as the corners of theend of the securing flaps 12, were locked and stitched.

As shown in FIG. 3, handles 14 were integrally attached at points 24 onthe opposing ends of the body of the wash-cloth 10. As also shown inFIG. 1, such handles 14 could be easily held by a person to both cleanand massage their back. Although, the main body of the wash-cloth waspreferably shown rectangular in shape, other shapes and sizes could havebeen used as long as they were configured to contain a plurality ofpockets, and were of sufficient length so that the handles 14 could beeasily attached on opposing ends of the main body 10. This allowed abather to easily and safely clean and massage his or her back.

In FIG. 4, one type of massaging utensil was shown as being retained inthe wash-cloth pocket 11 by a velcro securing means 13 on the pocketflap 12. FIG. 5 showed this massaging utensil 15 as being comprised of apair of apertured massaging balls 32. An apertured rod 31 was passedthrough the aperture of the massaging balls, and the combination washeld together by knotting together a piece of material which was passedthrough the aperture in the rod 31. Unattached massaging balls 32,furthermore, could alternatively be secured in the retaining pockets 11by the flap 12 and the selected securing means 13. (As there described,in addition to a bar of soap 16 and a massaging utensil 15, ahandicapped bather (for instance) could insert ice or other medicativecomposition for aiding them in contacting and thus medicating an injuredarea of the back.)

As with the present invention modified as described below, thewash-cloth 10 of FIGS. 1-5 was easily usable by inserting into thepockets 11 a massaging utensil 15, a bar of soap 16, and any other itemsthat might be required. This would be done by lifting the unstitchededge 23 of the securing flap 12 upwardly away from the main body 10 andpulling downwardly on the unstitched edge 23 of the pocket 11. After theneeded items are inserted into pockets 11, they are then secured thereinby pulling downwardly on the unstitched edge 23 of the securing flap 12.The securing means 13 on the flap 12 are then engaged so that anythinginserted in the pocket 11 will not be dislodged. The bather then takeshold of each of the handles 14 so that they can wash and simultaneouslymassage their backs without having to bend and strain. Under normalconditions, the bar of soap 16 would eventually become completelyused—and there is thus no small, formerly discardable pieces of soapleft over.

Although operable in similar manner, the sash of the present inventiongoes one step further by substituting an exfoliating sash fabric clothmanufacture for those flexible materials usable for the main bodywash-cloth members 10 of my earlier patent. Other modifications will beseen as well.

Thus, in FIG. 6, three massaging balls 66 each, arranged in preferablytriangular placement, are shown in pockets 60, 62 near opposing ends 42,44 of the sash cloth 50 stitched between their front and rear sides 46,48—along with a bar of soap 52 extending outwardly of the pocket 64 tobe secured in place when the flap securing means for the soap at 54 isfastened (as by velcro). The graspable handles are shown at 56, 58, witha preferred form of packaging of the exfoliating sash cloth being asee-through plastic type bag which the handles 56, 58 are folded up overand under the sash 50, and the bag tied with a decorous ribbon forpresenting the sash as a gift. In this embodiment, the exfoliating sashis comprised of folded over layered sheet material of an open honeycomb,triangular or diamond-shape, configuration. With the ends of the sashheld, one end in each hand, gently rubbing and gliding the sash acrossthe back, legs or other parts of the body, produces the massage thatstimulates the blood circulation in causing the user to feel radiant,refreshed and rejuvenated—while with the soap also in place in thepocket 64 between the pockets 60 and 62, such body areas are cleansed atthe same time. This type wash-cloth, when so used, is additionally bothmold and bacteria resistant, dries quickly, and is ready to use again invirtually no time at all. Being lightweight, durable and compact, itbecomes a perfect gift for everyone—especially when provided withluxurious organic handmade soaps suited for those with anycharacterization of normal, dry, oily or sensitive skin. The exfoliationfeature allows the body to be washed with a granular cosmeticpreparation in order to remove dirt cells from the skin surface as wellas unclogging the skin's pores. When finished, the exfoliating sashcloth can simply be rinsed and hung to dry, with the knowledge that deaddry skin, impurities and clogged pores that could cause blackheads andacne have been removed. With the massaging balls 66 being made of awooden composition in a preferred embodiment of the invention stitchedwithin their pockets, the sash fabric cloth is able to provide theexfoliating massage action for years, making periodic replacement of thebar of soap 52, the only thing necessary to provide the simultaneouscleansing of the body. A scrub-and-rub thereby results in a continuouslyusable cultured, mold and bacteria resistant manner.

In use then, grasping the handles 58 while showering, for example, anddrawing the sash 50 back and forth, left and right, across the neck,back, legs or other body part provides a massaging by the balls 66 aboutthe body and a cleansing by the soap 52; and moreover, an increasedmassaging by the balls being in two sets of spaced pockets 60, 62 ineach left-right movement, as compared to the massaging obtainable withthe balls in the one pocket 11 illustrated in my U.S. Pat. No. 5,545,456prior art patent. Added together with the open honeycomb layered sheetconfiguration of the sash providing the exfoliating feature of thepresent invention, the advantages over my earlier design will be seen tobe apparent. Avoiding the prior requirement of employing a cloth of twomaterials of differing porosities (a smoother, less porous one forcleansing, and a rougher, more porous one turned over for massaging andscratching) makes the advantages of this single folded over exfoliatingmaterial of the instant invention that much more obvious.

While there have been described what are considered to be preferredembodiments of the invention, it will be appreciated by those skilled inthe art that modifications can be made without departing from the scopeof the teachings herein. Thus, the massaging balls 66 in the pockets 60,62 of FIG. 6 can be arranged in different placements according to theinvention—and even one, two or more balls could be used there instead,as long as together, they act as a massaging utensil for the sash as itis drawn back and forth in use. And as will be appreciated, theadvantages of the invention will also be seen to follow if just tworetaining pockets were employed in the sash, one for the soap and onefor the massaging utensil. For at least such reasons therefore resortshould be had to the appended claims for a true understanding of theinvention.

I claim:
 1. A wash-cloth comprising: a main body of rectangular shapecomprising two sheets of flexible material of given porosity, coarsenessand abrasiveness, such sheets being integrally secured together to formthe main body; two or more retaining pockets, each being integrallyattached between the sheets located along the length of the main body; asecuring flap integrally attached to one edge of one of the retainingpockets; securing means attaching said flap for retaining a bar of soapin said one of the retaining pockets, and for retaining massagingutensils inside the others of the retaining pockets; two handles, eachbeing integrally attached to opposing ends of the main body of thewash-cloth; and wherein said main body comprises front and rear sheetsof exfoliating fabric of an open honeycomb design.
 2. The wash-cloth ofclaim 1 including three retaining pockets centrally located along thelength of the main body, between said opposing ends, with securing meansattached for securing the flap on the pocket in the middle thereof toretain the bar of soap therein.
 3. The wash-cloth of claim 2 whereinsecuring means attached to the two retaining pockets on either side ofsaid middle pocket secure two or more massaging balls in each of saidtwo pockets.
 4. The wash-cloth of claim 3 wherein said massaging ballsare stitched within said two retaining pockets.
 5. The wash-cloth ofclaim 4 wherein each of said two retaining pockets include one, two orthree massaging balls.
 6. The wash-cloth of claim 5 wherein each of saidtwo retaining pockets include three massaging balls arranged intriangular placements each.
 7. The wash-cloth of claim 6 wherein saidsheets of exfoliating fabric are of an open triangular or diamondhoneycomb design.